Eschrichtiidae
Quick Summary
The family Eschrichtiidae contains a single living species, the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). These baleen whales are characterized by their slender bodies, mottled gray or black coloration with white patches, and short, coarse baleen. Unlike other whales, they have two throat grooves and a row of humps instead of a dorsal fin. Gray whales are coastal, bottom-feeding cetaceans found in two distinct populations: one in the Sea of Okhotsk and the other along the coast of California. Historically hunted almost to extinction, they have since recovered due to international protection, though the western Pacific population remains critically endangered.123
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